


Just a Normal Day

by Hadithi



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: College, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:14:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23189823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hadithi/pseuds/Hadithi
Summary: One of Steven's college friends points out that Connie looks basic. Flirty banter and a fluffy conversation ensues.
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe
Comments: 42
Kudos: 325





	Just a Normal Day

Steven was getting better at human stuff. Maybe not great, but the general vibe (ha! slang) was that even humans didn't know what they were doing. He had his own friends now - friends his own age! He'd always had friends, but there was something magical about people going through the same thing as him, in the same points in their lives, with their own struggles that matched his.

Admittedly, not all of his. But that was fine because he still had Connie, who understood when he joked about not being able to teach an old Ruby new tricks, or about his puns about gems and magic and fusion. She was his girlfriend now, too! His lovely girlfriend, who he had giddily showed off pictures of to his new friends. 

One, Barry, had grinned and said, "I never would've guessed you'd be with someone so basic."

He blinked. "Basic?"

"Yeah, like... It means someone really standard? Unoriginal?" Catching sight of Steven's face he quickly added with a little panic, "It's a joke thing!"

"What do you mean?" Steven narrowed his eyes. He had found that these kinds of jokes could often be very mean, even if no one else seemed to think so.

"Uh… It's like a stereotype? So, a basic bit-girl!” Barry corrected whatever word he was about to say, and Steven’s eyes narrowed with even more suspicion. “A basic girl is someone who likes UGG boots and pumpkin spice lattes and they wear all the preppy stuff - button up collared shirts, stuff like that."

Steven was already typing into his phone. Connie had trained him very well by now. Steven had all of human information tucked into his pocket, and when in doubt there was no reason not to pull up a search engine and do his own research. Greg had long since bought him unlimited data, as Steven’s ravenous searching ate through every other plan. He hummed as he looked through the memes. "I guess she is basic."

Barry smiled, relieved. "Nothing wrong with ba-"

"Except for the sword stuff, I guess," Steven remarked casually, shrugging as his phone dropped back into his pocket. "And the survivalist stuff. And, I mean, she basically helped me liberate the galaxy. But now she's pretty basic."

Barry put his hand under his chin with a silly grin. "Hey man? The fuck is your life?"

Steven laughed. "Better than it used to be."

* * *

Connie was out on the lawn, and he actually stopped as he got a good look at her. It was summer, and she was dressed as always - the infamous UGG boots, jean shorts, and a button-up blouse. Which, if his research was right, were all pretty basic. Well, the blouse was kind of not basic. Apparently, basic girls were more likely to wear oversized shirts and big hoodies.

Her eyes were blissfully closed as she listened to music in the headphones he bought her - a nice around the ear set that would block off the world if things got too stressful. And he liked to treat her, smiled every time she flushed over a present and insisted he didn’t have to. The breeze blew her hair gently as she soaked up the sun, and as funny as it was that there was a word for the way Connie dressed, his heart fluttered with the idea that it didn't fit her personality. And maybe there weren't a lot of people who didn't know that, other than him. That was special.

And then her hand fumbled for her reusable coffee cup which was clear, and full of an odd yellow drink, which he knew immediately was the seasonal ginger pineapple coconut health drink so waited for giddily every year, and his loving thoughts were full of only ways to mock his basic bitch girlfriend.

He slid beside her with a grin into the grass, laying on his side while he propped up his head. "I learned new slang today."

"Bee's knees," she said without missing a beat. 

"No, it's-"

Connie cut him off with a triumphant cry of, "The cat’s pajamas!"

Steven blurted before her mocking knocked all the wind from his sails, "You're basic!"

"Steven, I'm not basic.” Her mouth dropped open and she set her drink on the grass, appalled as she continued, “That's not what that means!"

Steven pointed down. "UGG boots."

"They're comfy. You can wear a pair of boots that-" Her mouth pursed.

"Jean shorts," he said, continuing his very well researched analysis.

"No, those are because I'm a lesbian, Steven," said his grinning girlfriend.

"And the guy I was talking to said that the shirt was basic, but I think it’s preppy. And prep is a different thing.” He frowned and rubbed his chin as he thought. “But you do wear big hoodies a lot in the winter."

"Because it's cold, Steven!" she cried. "What am I supposed to do? Be cold?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Buy hoodies in your size and stop stealing mine?"

"I'm poor!"

"Your mom's a doctor."

"I have a fixed income," she protested, looking away as her face wrinkled up. “Besides, your clothes smell like you and they’re all big and warm. I look cute in them too. Don’t you like it when I wear your jacket?”

He tapped her drink. "This is somewhere between basic and hipster."

She gasped again, this time with outrage as her eyes snapped back to him. "Hipster? I'm not a hipster!"

"No. Your usual look is something like... Between basic and prep."

"Oh my gosh, stop!” She was laughing, an embarrassed hysterical giggle as her hands covered her cheeks. “I'm gonna take away your phone if you’re going to use it to roast me."

"Speaking of phones..." He grabbed for hers.

"No!" she squealed, skittering back.

"What were you listening to?" he purred, hand still reaching.

She rolled over and frantically scrambled to her feet. He could see all her combat instincts, the way her eyes swiftly flicked around the quad for the quickest exits, her mental debate about whether snagging her backpack was worth the few seconds of delay. "Local indie rock!"

"Liar!" he laughed and tackled her into the grass, the two of them squirming and wrestling for her phone. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Steven realized he’d have to rush home and do laundry before the stains set, and there was a giddiness in the normality of that, too. "Tell me what you were listening to!"

"Classic rock!"

"You're going to jail for lying, liar!" He managed to pry the phone from her hand and crowed with delight. "Pop hits radio! You're listening to top fifty and-"

Hysterical giggles kept pouring from her as she reached for her phone, too crippled with laughter to be coordinated in her grabbing. He let her have it, his victory assured. "No! My finger slipped! It was anime music!"

"And you're basic!" he said triumphantly, laughing as he fell back in the grass.

"Oh yeah?” Her voice was hot and flustered as she fumbled for a response. “Well you’re... You're a Chad!"

He laughed. "What? No! A Chad's a guy-"

"A big handsome guy everyone likes. You know, like someone built like a linebacker, always in a letterman jacket and a very handsome face?" She squeezed his cheek, pinching and tugging and wobbling it back and forth as she taunted, "Sound familiar?" 

"No!" He protested. "A Chad's... Hold on."

Steven pulled out his phone, seeing Connie giggle and smile lovingly as he did as she taught - researching the thing he didn't know. His face wrinkled up as he read the description, which largely fit but… He shook his head slowly. "I haven't had sex with a bunch of girls, so I'm not a Chad." 

He looked up to find her flustered, a strangled noise coming from the back of her throat. "N-not that part! Just like... That's not... Nobody means that when they call a guy a Chad." 

"Yeah they do." He grinned, holding up his phone. "Chad Thunder-" 

"I can read it!" she yelped, holding her hand over the text of his phone, eternally blocking the lewdness from her sight. "Do not finish that sentence." 

Steven giggled as he let his cheek fall to her calf. "I think people use Chad like the boy version of basic. Ordinary. Normal. Just the stereotypical guy. That's me."

Connie snorted, giving his cheek another little poke. "That's you. That's us. Basic bitches. How'd we fall so far?"

His breath caught a little as he stared up at her. The smell of grass from their wrestling was strong in his nose, but it was a game. Not training. No oncoming fear. They’d played like a regular couple, and they’d teased about being a regular couple, and his biggest worry was whether she’d forgive him for the green streaks on her blouse. His throat tightened as he swallowed, a hopeful smile barely gracing his lips. "Hey, Connie? People think we're normal now."

"Yeah." Her hands found his, a trembling smile passing over her own face. "They do." 


End file.
